


Detour

by opalmatrix



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Gen, Rain, Travel, generosity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 11:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13294254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalmatrix/pseuds/opalmatrix
Summary: On their way back from temple business, Sanzo and Goku get caught in the rain.





	Detour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cornerofmadness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/gifts).



> Prompt: a photo of feet trudging through the rain.

The day had started out grey and mild, but by the time Sanzo had blessed the new bridge and the villagers, the clouds had thickened and a cold rain was falling. He'd worn sandals and socks, not boots. His toes were chilled, and his feet squelched with every step.

_Why didn't I ordain Hakkai when he asked? Then I could have sent him and the kappa, instead._

Predictably, Goku was unaffected by the cold and the wet. He kept running on ahead and then running back, like a puppy out for a walk. "If you wear yourself out, don't expect me to carry you," snapped Sanzo, as the kid returned for the tenth time.

Goku stuck out his bottom lip for a moment, then shrugged and ran ahead to the crossroads, where he stood in the middle and spun around slowly, as though considering which way to go. Sanzo squelched up to him, and the monkey stopped turning and pointed left. "I smell buns," he said.

Sanzo pulled out the fan, but before he wound up to smack the brat, he saw that there was a roadside inn a few hundred meters down the left-hand road. Goku, eying the fan warily, did not say anything. Sanzo huffed out an impatient breath. "Fine," he said. "But I decide what to order and when we should leave."

It was a couple of hours past noon, and the inn was warm and quiet. Only a few patrons sat in the common room, drinking tea and eating, as Goku had predicted, buns.

The proprietress seated them in an alcove and brought tea and a plate of bean jam buns. She refused to take Sanzo's money, and when they were getting ready to go, she said, politely, "If the worthy Sanzo priest would consider it, I have a pair of gumboots that might fit. My eldest son had new boots when he left for university, but these are still in fair shape."

It seemed pointless to argue with such a polite and restrained offer. 

She took them back into the scullery, and left them with the boots and some towels and a dry pairs of socks, as well as a string bag and an umbrella with one bent rib. Sanzo dried both of them off and donned the socks and boots. They were slightly too large, but they had only a couple of kilometers to go. He bundled up his sandals and soaked socks in the string bag and gave them to Goku to carry. Goku hung the towels up near the stove, without being asked, and followed Sanzo out of the kitchen. The proprietress was setting tables for the evening meal in the now-empty common room. She nodded politely at Sanzo's thanks and looked surprised when he chanted a blessing for the establishment.

Dry feet and an umbrella made the rest of the trip tolerable. Goku, who now looked ready for a nap, trotted quietly alongside Sanzo at the end of the journey. As they came to the gates of the temple, Sanzo looked down and ruffled the kid's hair.

"I'm glad you smelled those buns," he said.


End file.
